


Take The Bitter With The Sweet

by rainbowslovehl (Larrymateforlife)



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bakery, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Awkward Flirting, Fluff, M/M, Pining, for just a second really
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-30
Updated: 2018-07-30
Packaged: 2019-06-18 19:30:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,789
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15493068
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Larrymateforlife/pseuds/rainbowslovehl
Summary: “They did not,” Louis said in the midst of laughing, which had now turned more of hiccup giggles. The name resembled Liam’s shop name, differing by just one word even if it boasted a whole other specialty. “They did not just name their shop too similar to yours.”“They fucking did!” Liam exclaimed as he slammed his hand against the counter so hard that the drawers shook. “They have the audacity to open a coffee shop right in front of mine and steal my shop name and customers. They serve ‘gluten free’ hipster stuff and ‘kale smoothies’ or whatever, which is mocking my food I feel. The name taunts me. I can’t fucking believe.”Liam recruits Louis to spy on the 'rival cafe', which Louis is less than enthusiastic about but it does lead him Harry, the pretty barista who works there.





	Take The Bitter With The Sweet

**Author's Note:**

> I was in sort of a writing slump last week so sorry if this isn't as good as the rest :(
> 
> This is part of a Wordplay prompt challenge that a group of us are participating in for the prompt "polish". To read the amazing fics that were written by the others on this prompt, [click here](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/polish/works), and to see all fics written as part of the challenge, [click here](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/wordplay_fic_challenge/works) or find the masterpost for this year’s challenge [here](https://wordplayfics.tumblr.com/post/175608230403/wordplay-2018-every-week-a-prompt-is-chosen-using).

 

Louis parked his bike in the alley closest to his destination, being sure to chain it to the pole just in case. The neighbourhood was good but that didn’t mean it wouldn’t get stolen. He took his helmet off, shaking his head while pretending he was in a movie and imagining his hair was flying beautifully rather than just… being. It might not have been the smartest idea, but there was no other way to wash away the residue to the part from last night. Now as he ran his fingers through his hair, he could feel the strands sticking up. He had an inkling it had dried bizarre and wouldn’t settle no matter what and sighed. At least he didn't have a hangover, for which he had Liam to thank. Liam had joined them for a pub night after a long time and took away Louis’ fifth pint and shoved a glass of water in his hand instead. The water from last night was the only reason he bothered getting out of the house at all. It was just for Liam, who should call himself lucky. It was the least he could do, he told himself, as he shoved a beanie on his head.

“Alright Lima, my visit better not be in vain,” Louis announced loudly as he pushed in the door of a small, but brightly painted tea shop named ‘Not Just Another Cuppa Tea’. Louis was loud enough to garner the attention of his friend, who had been scrubbing the countertop even if it was already spotless. It also garnered the attention of the two other patrons sitting on the wooden chairs, who frowned at him. Louis didn’t pay them any heed as he swaggered in with splendour, arms spread. Liam looked less than impressed as he shook his head. “I have travelled a long way because you insisted that there was something majorly wrong and that I needed to be here. So here I am, on a Saturday afternoon I’d rather spend napping. Be grateful.”

Liam, most certainly, did not look grateful when he rolled his eyes and Louis scoffed, not having expected otherwise. He grabbed an empty chair and pulled it close to the counter before slumping down on it. He was a little out of breath, heart racing and cheeks flushed due to the exertion. Louis was still getting used to riding everywhere on a bike. It got him wet on the way to Uni when it rained, sure, but he would also admit it was a good workout for him. He gazed imploringly at his friend, who sighed and dropped the rag aside.

“You live twenty minutes away, Louis, don’t exaggerate,” Liam deadpanned and leaned his elbows on the counter. Louis raised his eyebrows defiantly. “And it is a serious problem. You will see.”

“It better be. You know I rode my bike here? It’s tiring.”

“You choose to ride the bike everywhere because you crashed your car last month and don’t have enough money to repair it,” Liam countered, the corner of his lips quirking up while Louis scoffed.

“It wasn’t my fault. And you know that.”

“You like cycling to places and call it your inexpensive gym. Plus it improves your stamina and –”

“That's... not the point.”

“You don’t have to be so dramatic, you know?”

“Can we just fucking move on, Liam!” Louis explained huffily, throwing his hands up in the air and making his friend laugh. He wished he didn’t have the habit of sharing everything with Liam. Liam wasn’t wrong, which was exactly why he was annoying especially since he came all the way over to help him out. When he didn’t even know what the problem was. He narrowed his eyes, staring Liam down until the latter gave up. “Now hand me a free cupcake, the one you get from the bakery down the street and let’s get on with it. Oh and I also need tea to soothe my suffering.”

“One would think you crawled over broken glass or braved a hail storm or something,” Liam grumbled, rolling his eyes and fixing his uniform. Louis didn’t understand why he insisted on wearing it even if he was the owner and could just not. But Liam was weird and Louis never understood his decisions. It was the base on which their friendship was formed, in addition to them just being neighbours as kids before moving to Manchester together. “But alright I’m feeling generous today so I’ll give you a cupcake. And let you come back here to make your own tea.”

“Aw thanks, Li,” Louis chirped and clapped his hands with a wide smile on his face. He used to work here for a few weeks so he knew his way around the place. He flitted around while Liam watched him with narrowed eyes. Louis liked tea best when he made it himself, not that he would make it any different. It was probably a result of the love he had for himself, or the brilliant flavour was just in his head. Either way, on to tea making. He picked out his favourite mug, the one with the chipped paint that he kept especially for himself and set the kettle to boil. He then turned around to face his friend, clasping his hands together and trying his best to look enthusiastic. “I’m all ears now. Tell me the big problem you have and I’ll tell you if I can solve it. Major stress on ‘if’. Now where’s my cupcake?”

Liam rolled his eyes as he handed Louis his favourite cupcake out of the display, the extra chocolate one. “ _So glad_ of you to bike all the way here, did I tell you? Anyway remember how I told you two months ago before you quit that the business was finally flourishing and customers were pouring in? Remember?”

Louis hummed and chewed on the baked treat, eyes fluttering shut due to being overwhelmed by the sweetness. It was orgasmic, really, he’d love to marry the baker. If he was into that, that is. “You were going on and on about it. Then?”

“As you can see, it’s not happening right now.” To emphasise his point, he swept his arm around to indicate the two customers, who were sort of listening in. They looked busy when Louis’ eyes fell on them and he thought they were doing a poor job of pretending to be oblivious. “There are two customers and it’s four in the afternoon so my dream is dead. Almost, at least and I blame the shop that opened up right across the street. I don’t know the owner but they just might be my new nemesis.”

“Your first and only nemesis,” Louis corrected and scoffed. Liam was one of the most peaceful friends he had, but he was clearly worked up about something and explaining very little. Louis was curious about it, wanting to know why exactly Liam looked like he might actually kill someone the more he spoke. There wasn’t much of the new shop visible since the front windows of Liam’s shop were basically frozen glass and Louis didn’t understand their purpose. So he twisted his torso so he could look out the glass door and peek at the new shop.

The last time Louis was here, there was nothing on the other street but a giant ‘for rent’ sign on a glass window behind which laid garbage. Now clearly there wasn’t garbage behind the windows, which were now cleaned and plastered with pink paper hearts. From what little Louis could see, it was a cafe with a small chalkboard out front which read out the specials of the day. It was too far away to read without glasses so Louis didn’t try, looking in through the glass and finding definitely more than two customers. It might be why Liam was resentful.

“It’s a cafe, you have a tea shop,” Louis said, frowning at his friend. Liam was baring his teeth, eyes narrowed in the direction of the shop. Louis took a step away from him, glancing once again at the cafe. “Different target audience. Why do you hate them?”

“Look at the name,” Liam growled and at the same time the kettle went off, making Louis flinch and reach quickly to silence it. He squinted once more through the glass door, reading the name. In curved letter was written ‘Not Just Another Cuppa Joe’ up front and it wasn’t a bad name per se. He looked back at Liam, confused.

“What’s about the... oh. Fucking hell no.”

It clicked the moment he started to say the name out loud. Suddenly Liam’s frustration and the need for rivalry were understood, as Louis’ lips parted in surprise. The surprise was gone as soon as it came, being replaced by mild amusement that turned into flown blown laughter. It was funny, was too funny combined with the disgruntled look Liam sported and Louis had to brace himself against the counter so as to not topple down.

“They did not,” Louis said in the midst of laughing, which had now turned more of hiccup giggles. The name resembled Liam’s shop name, differing by just one word even if it boasted a whole other specialty. “They did not just name their shop too similar to yours.”

“They fucking did!” Liam exclaimed as he slammed his hand against the counter so hard that the drawers shook. The two customers looked at them in shock, fearful of Liam’s red face which was just spurring on Louis’ laughter. He had no clue what he was laughing at, at that point. Probably how his friend was swearing when he rarely did otherwise. “They have the audacity to open a coffee shop right in front of mine and steal my shop name and customers. They serve ‘gluten free’ hipster stuff and ‘kale smoothies’ or whatever, which is mocking my food I feel. The name taunts me. I can’t fucking believe.”

“Your face is just...” was all Louis could say before he actually collapsed to the floor laughing, tea and cupcake forgotten. His stomach was hurting, tear streaming from the corner of his eyes and he could just tell his face was just as red as Liam’s was, except for a whole other reason. What could he say he derived fun from his friend’s plights.

It was Liam’s older sister, Ruth who had bought the small tea shop, which she got cheap because the owner was ready to sell and leave. His other older sister, Nicola renovated the place and decided the retro, wooden furniture theme. It was a little questionable, since the frosted glass prevented the people walking outside from looking in and noticing the place but what did Louis know, right? Since Liam was pursuing a degree in business, he took over the finance part. So basically, it was a family business one could say.

Louis, the tea connoisseur he was, helped Liam out before, when he hadn’t decided whom to hire and the shop had been thrumming with customers. Manchester had a lot of tea shops, and tea lovers but there was no other teashop on that street so it was working in the Payne siblings’ favour. Now, since there was an obvious competition right across the street, Louis could understand why Liam was so mad about it. He put his heart and soul and the rest of his free time into his place. Liam had basically no life because he was busy managing this place, even with the two people he hired. The employees weren’t here today, probably because it was a Saturday. Louis shouldn’t be here either, but he was lying on the floor and laughing.

“Don’t laugh it’s a serious matter,” Liam insisted with the stomp of his foot. Louis brought his knees closer to his chest, curling into a ball as he nodded and tried to tame his laughter. It would only work if Liam stopped acting like a child, and so he said to which his friend huffed. “Oh so you can be dramatic but I can’t?”

“I’m studying drama,” Louis pointed out. “And I’m gay. It’s basically a rule for me to be dramatic.

“Do you know ridiculous you look, Louis?” Liam intoned and rolled his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest as he leaned on the counter. Louis grinned, content on lying on the hopefully clean floor. Knowing what a cleanliness freak Liam was, it was clean all right. “And I asked you to come here to spy on my rival. You need to help me fight this war and emerge victorious.”

“Do you know how ridiculous you _sound_ , Liam,” Louis teased, wiping away his tears. He was more or less calm now, even if his stomach was hurting. He didn’t feel like standing up just yet so he sat cross-legged on his floor and shot an amused smile at his friend. “I can’t help you fight a war, mainly because there isn’t one. Rivalry is common in business, besides it’s a hipster cafe, completely different demographic. You just need to take out the frosted glass and make it see through instead.”

“See through?” Liam asked but before Louis could explain, there was a familiar ring of the bell which signified a customer. Liam shot him a panicked look, pushing him down when Louis tried to stand up. And Louis huffed quietly, staying put. It was wondrous watched how the anger and frustration slid off Liam’s face and turned into a bright smile which was quite similar to his real one. He looked like his usual, sunny self as he greeted the new customer, of whom Louis couldn’t see one bit. Damn wooden counter. “Welcome to Just Another Cuppa Tea, what can I get you?”

Louis rested his head against the counter, closing his eyes and waiting till the customer left. It’s not as if he could see much of him anyway.

“Um just a Yorkshire to go please? No milk,” the person drawled in a deep voice and Louis’ eyes flew open in surprise. Yorkshire. No milk. That was Louis’ kind of tea, which by the way he had to drink yet. But now he was curious about the man that had entered, so he tried to lift himself once again only to earn a glare from his friend. Louis would normally object to it loudly but right now he huffed as quietly as he could and peered to see what little he could of the man while Liam set to make the man’s tea.

Louis could see black jeans clinging to the man’s slender legs along with what looked like the ends of a gaudy brown shirt. His fingers were splayed across the glass display, tapping rhythmically and was slightly hypnotised, he would admit. His fingers were sort of long and like that of an artist, adorned with silver rings and the hints of red nail polish as well. His gaze lingered on his nails until he pulled his hand away to accept the Styrofoam cup of tea Liam gave him.

“Thank you,” the man said and Liam smiled at him, putting away the money. He glared at Louis once again as he tried to stand up and peek at the lad who was exiting. And he was denied the sight of the man, since when he stood up, the man was out of the shop leaving disappointment in Louis’ chest. He glared at his friend now, who was smiling knowingly at him.

“What the fuck?” Louis hissed, narrowing his eyes and placing his hands on his hips. The man was definitely gone, since Louis had absolutely no luck and his friend was the worst. “It might just be my soulmate who had ordered and you let him get away? I didn’t even see his face now how will I find him again?”

“You never saw his face,” Liam pointed out, chuckling lightly and Louis huffed.

“That's what I said. I never saw his face. How will I find him?”

“He just ordered a Yorkshire tea, how do you know if he’s beautiful?”

“He doesn’t need to be beautiful, his love for my favourite tea is enough,” Louis said stiffly and crossed his arms over his chest defensively. Liam had proceeded to laughing outright now, and Louis did not like that the tables had turned. Not at all. “You can stop laughing now.”

“Honestly,” Liam murmured, shaking his head and reaching for the rag to clean the counter for absolutely no reason. Louis was tempted to spill tea on it, which speaking of, he was yet to have any. So he poured himself some tea and sipped it lightly as he watched his friend with obvious disdain. “Stop being dramatic alright. He’s a regular. I’ll text you when he returns, alright? He’s here every weekend. And Wednesdays. Now it’s your turn to help me.”

Louis still had his eyes narrowed, distrustful of the other man who looked too happy right now. He only relented after he had finished his tea, placing his mug down and crossing his hands all over again. “Fine. I’ll help you but only because you helped me out with my potential soulmate. Do you have anything in mind?”

“I do,” Liam said with a wide grin, dropping the rag and rubbing his hands together like a cartoon villain. Louis was sure it was a lame plan already, which good because he wasn’t bothered to do a lot with this.

-

As Louis had expected, Liam’s plan was simple hence lame. All he had to do was just walk into the other shop and check it out, note down anything that would help Liam have an advantage. That was it. that was why he had called Louis all the way here instead of just going in himself, because surely the owner of the other shop didn’t know there was a rivalry. Liam was an idiot, honestly.

But Louis had promised so he agreed to it with just an eye roll, knowing he’d be rolling his eyes a lot more if it was a hipster joint like Liam had called it. It wasn’t as if he had anything against hipsters but he did not like the trend that had swept in, especially among his sisters. Lottie even forced him to try something pretentious last week, which she claimed was great but he found it just above average. He swallowed his protests and pushed in the door of the coffee shop, not before glancing at the specials just once. They boasted of gluten free and vegan ice creams, which was so not what he felt like having today. But a cake would be nice, if it was a chocolate one so maybe he should head down to the bakery before he went home.

Louis was immediately smothered by the smell of coffee beans, schooling his face into something neutral as he took another step in. He looked around, finding the place appealing in spite of himself. It was just a little bigger than Liam’s tea shop but had a brighter array of colours and some colourful art as well. Unlike the teashop, there was no prevalent theme to the cafe. It was a mismatch, Louis could say, between modern and retro and it was far more appealing that a thematic design. Not that he’d ever tell his friend this. Smooth, calming music was playing in the air and the place was flooded with natural light from the glass windows out front. There were bean bags in the corner, where one could get comfy or a high bar stools by the window, overlooking the street. There was also an abundance of red, pink and yellow around him, which he definitely liked. It was like a lot of thought and care had gone into this place and a lot of money as well. And he got the appeal, he got why anyone would prefer this place even with the hipster menu. No offense to hipsters really.

Louis passed by at least ten customers on his way to the counter, with their nose buried in either books or an electronic gadget. No one paid him any heed, which was nice since he didn’t want to be caught spying. Not that anyone would suspect him of that since his acting skills were good and he wasn’t actually worrying about that in the first place. It was probably Liam’s voice in his head. He told the voice to shut up as he walked to the counter, which was mostly glass and see through, for the record. He liked the design as well. Liam should have hired whoever had designed this place to do his shop as well.

When Louis reached the counter, he found no one standing behind it. It was empty.

Louis was sure it was unprofessional for a cafe brimming with customers to not have an employee to serve them. Granted, no one looked as if they needed being attended to and were content with sitting but Louis’ point remained. He considered turning around and walking right out, since he wasn’t planning on having anything. And since there was no barista, no one would judge him for leaving so quickly. But then he saw a hand on the counter, leading to a body of course and frowned. He saw that there was someone, crouched and almost hidden behind the wooden part of the counter, just like Louis was hidden a few minutes before. But the person could be seen, which good for him because he was working. And Louis could still leave, but he was fixated on the hand and more importantly his fingers that had familiar rings and a bright red shade of polish on his nails. He knew that hand, it was of the customer from before. Liam had called him a regular, so surely he wouldn’t be working here. Right?

“Is anyone there?” Louis asked, in a louder tone than necessary and could see the person jump and make a sound of acknowledgement. The person reared their head, brown curls rising above the counter and Louis saw green eyes aimed at him. They were a bright shade of green, wide with embarrassment and surprise before he lowered his head again. There was a vague slurping sound and Louis frowned, cocking his head to a side as he shifted a little to the left to try and see the boy clearly. There was a movement too fast to catch before the bloke raised his head again, slowly as if in a process of standing up. “Hello?”

And maybe Louis shouldn’t have done that, in hindsight since the bloke jumped in surprise. And since he was half crouched, he seemed to lose his balance and Louis watched in horror as he fell onto his arse and then just proceeded to flatten himself on the empty expanse of the floor. It was unnecessary and dramatic, Louis would say since there was no need for him to just lie there. But it was also something he would do so he found it amusing as he leaned over the counter to look at the person better.

“Sorry hello welcome,” the boy started, eyes resigned and cheeks flushed a shade very similar to the one painted on his nails. His hair was long-ish, splayed around his head like a halo. His leg was bent at an awkward angle to fit himself into the space, arms spread about him. His face looked a mix of embarrassment and pain and the more Louis stared, the more his face coloured until he fluttered his eyes shut and groaned. “How can I help you?”

Without meaning to, the corner of his lips curled up into a smile and he rested his head atop his open palms. “Mate, I don’t think I’m the one that needs help.”

“I’m not hurt,” the barista said, slapping a hand over his head before peeking through the gaps in his finger. Louis’ smile widened as he watched at the boy starfished on the floor and trying to be endearing. He might have been being dramatic about the whole ‘that man is my soulmate’ thing but right now, he was thinking he might be onto something. When he found Louis still looking, he lowered his hand until a smile was blooming on his lips. “Physically I’m fine, emotionally I’m bruised.”

And Louis laughed in spite of himself, curling into himself and dropping his head onto the counter and laughing more. For some reason, it was amusing or he was whipped but his laughter turned into giggles and his stomach hurt once more, again at someone else’s plight. He looked up from his palms, finding the boy smiling but still sprawled on the floor. “But do you need any help?”

“No I can get up,” the boy replied with a wide smile. “But I feel like lying here and revelling in my embarrassment for a few more seconds. If you don’t mind.”

For emphasis, the boy folded his hands to rest his head on and raised his eyebrows. Louis pursed his lips to look grave, raising his own eyebrows and shaking his head. “Not at all. We all need to dramatically lie on the floor at least once. Just had my dramatic lounge on the floor just half an hour ago.”

It was the truth, since he was lying on the floor in Liam’s shop. But the laugh he got in exchange for the revelation filled his heart with too much fondness and butterflies, a lot in reaction to someone he had just met. He didn’t try to tamper them, feeling his eyes crinkle up as he watched the boy clumsily sit up and then stand. Louis’ eyes caught on to the nametag on the boy’s uniform, which said Harry. He kept watching as the barista straightened and dusted off his uniform carefully before he looked up. It was a nice name, he thought. Harry’s eyes were certainly brighter than the uniform he wore, cheeks a little less red and his smile definitely wider and it brought out his dimples. The boy was a treat, and it helped that his personality also seemed good so far.

“So what will you have today,” Harry started, efficiently slipping into professional mode as he clapped his hands together enthusiastically. Louis couldn’t help but chuckle at that, taking his elbows off the counter. “We specialise in vegan, gluten free cakes and organic coffee.”

“Do I look like someone who likes gluten free food?” Louis whispered, knowing that he definitely shouldn’t. But then the lad had come to Liam’s shop and ordered tea, which might be what he was drinking before he fell so it wasn’t like he would mind. And Louis’ assumption wasn’t wrong, since the next second Harry was laughing loudly. He made a squawk like sound before clamping a hand on his mouth to stop it, quietly giggling into his palm after. Louis knew he was funny, but didn’t know he was that funny and it made pride swell in his chest. He was proud of the fact that he made a pretty boy laugh today. “I know I shouldn’t but. I like my cakes with gluten and extra sweet. And like a true Brit, I prefer tea as well.”

“I know what you mean,” Harry drawled, a conspiring sparkle in his eyes. He leaned forward and Louis did too, unaware that he was moving at all. “Don’t tell the boss but I just finished a cuppa I bought from the teashop across the street. I like the teabags from there.”

“Yeah?” Louis asked, feeling something like hope shoot its way up his stomach. He had recommended that brand of Yorkshire tea for Liam to use, claiming it to draw more customers. And it had drawn in Harry, which was just Louis’ luck even if late. He wondered how it would be if Louis still worked at Liam’s shop. Maybe he should, just to meet Harry every day. “But I would still like for you to make me tea today. Just tea. Yorkshire, no milk.”

Harry grinned so wide that his eyes were reduced to slits of happiness. Louis’ stomach swooped due to it and certainly everything was not all right with him today. “That’s the tea I drink too. I’ll make the best I can.”

And then Harry winked, turning away before he could see the mild heart attack Louis had. He was usually composed but today his defences were down. He blamed Harry’s dimple as he stared at the way the barista moved when he prepared Louis’ tea. He was quick to snap his eyes up when Harry turned and Louis smiled as if he wasn’t just ogling his bum.

“Thank you, Harry,” Louis said as he paid for his tea, noticing a frown had taken over Harry’s features. Oh right. “Your nametag.”

“Oh.” Harry blinked prettily before chuckling, hesitant and shy. “Yeah that. Okay um okay.”

“Bye,” Louis chirped as if actually gleeful to walk away from Harry. Every step felt harder and there was a pull in his belly that dragged him towards the boy he was definitely crushing on right on. Okay maybe Liam was right and Louis was too dramatic, but he meant it all the same. He could see his friend pressing his face on the door of his shop and wanted to groan. Why Liam, he wondered, walking out of the cool coffee shop and into the warm weather.

Louis was going to come back here soon to talk to Harry. He was. But right now there was Liam to be dealt with.

-

It took longer than Louis had expected for him to be able to come back.

In his defence, he really was busy. Also, he needed to pick a day when Liam wasn’t working and Harry might be. So exactly two weeks later, Louis was biking past Liam’s teashop. His eyed the till and found Liam absent, which was a sign of victory. Then he biked past the second time, seeing Harry in behind the counter. And then biked past one last time, winded from everything and not wanting to seem like a weirdo. Louis chained the bike to the same spot as the last time, waiting and taking deep breaths until his heartbeat came down. He checked his face in the mirror, flattening his hair and satisfied that he didn’t look much of a mess. With confidence and a spring in his step, Louis crossed the street and entered the cafe.

But sight of Harry behind the counter, smiling and chatting amicably with a customer brought down his spirits and he was scared again. He was a fool. Of course he couldn’t do this and probably Harry didn’t even want him back. He probably talked that way to every other person, since clearly Louis wasn’t that special. He could back out if he wanted, since he was close to the door and Harry was otherwise distracted. It wasn’t as if he was here for coffee, tea or cakes anyway. Harry wouldn’t remember him, wouldn’t care that he was back and Louis was making it a way bigger deal in his head. He was busy second-guessing himself and the customer had already moved away from the till. Louis held his breath as Harry’s gaze landed on him. And then the young barista’s face turned bright, a wider smile taking over his face as he raised both hands over his head to wave.

“Yorkshire tea lad!” Harry called out, waving his hands enthusiastically and Louis exhaled. His heart fluttered with joy as he took determined steps towards Harry, a small grin on his lips. Harry remembered him. Of course he did. As usual Louis was being dramatic for no reason. “You’re back.”

“I am, aren’t I?” Louis’ grin widened and he rested his elbows on the counter. Harry sucked his lower lip between his teeth while grinning, brushing a strand of hair off his eyes. He was wearing his hair up in a small bun today. The bun just held the front hair strand, leaving the rest loose. It was cute and Louis felt the need to say that but didn’t.

“Seems like you liked my tea.”

“I like you,” Louis replied without thinking, backtracking at the gasp from the other lad. “I mean like how you make it. I think your hands are magical.”

“Are they now?” Harry asked as he held his palms in front of his face and wiggled his fingers with a giggle. Honestly he would be the death of him. Never had Louis felt so flustered, so stumped for words but he guessed there was a first time for everything. “I still think you should try a cuppa from across the street.”

Louis hummed, cocking his hip to a side. “Next time. For now, what do you think I should have? Not the non-gluten one.”

Harry pursed his lips, tapping his chin as he complemented the answer while Louis stared at the movement of his finger, transfixed. His nails were painted a bright shade of green today. It matched the colour of his eyes for sure. “Let’s see. I think you should try the chocolate cake today, but the gluten free one.”

Louis wrinkled his nose. “Why?”

Harry laughed at his expression, shaking his head before picking out the cake he had mentioned and placed it in front of Louis. “Just trust me. You’ll like it.”

Louis stared at it distrustfully before picking up a fork. “If you say so.”

Louis was ready to fake moan and pretend it was nice but the first bite of cake on his tongue and he was overwhelmed. It tasted delicious, almost as delicious as the chocolate cupcake from the bakery down the street. He hummed in satisfaction, opening his eyes to find an earnest Harry staring at him.

“Do you like it?”

“Yes,” Louis answered around the cake in his mouth, giving him a thumbs up and Harry laughed, delighted. “It’s great. Just like my favourite chocolate cupcake.”

“Yeah? Your favourite is chocolate?”

“I would die for chocolate,” Louis said gravely, once he had swallowed the food in his mouth. Harry nodded solemnly as well before his face broke out in a grin. “Compliments to the chef.”

“Thanks,” Harry murmured, a warm blush spreading on his cheeks. It took Louis a few seconds but he gasped when he realised.

“Did you make it?” he asked, a little loudly but it wasn’t as if he cared what anyone thought. He couldn’t look away even if he tried, honestly. “This is just great. Wow. I’m in love with this chocolate cake now, never gonna part with it.”

“I’m getting a little jealous over here,” Harry murmured, eyes widening when he realised Louis had heard it. His lips parted, ready to apologise but Louis laughed.

“Don’t worry. I’m never going to part with you too. I need more cakes outta you.”

Harry smiled, face pink till the tip of his ears as he watched Louis polish his plate and grin.

-

It wasn’t Louis’ plan he swore, yet he found himself returning to the cafe two more times over the month. On Saturdays, which was a big deal as far as he was concerned.

The first time, a week after their second meeting, Louis went back. He used the excuse that he had just returned to taste the carrot cake that Harry had made, the gluten free one which Harry assured tasted good. Louis had to agree with that, complimenting him repeatedly until Harry was blushing and smiling. Louis felt like he had accomplished something by getting the pretty barista to smile, so he decided to go again the next weekend.

Just Louis was a little too careless and hadn’t checked beforehand, hence bumped into Liam. Or Liam bumped into him. Same difference.

As Louis parked his bike in his usual spot, he was happy at the prospect of seeing Harry. Hence he didn’t hear the footfalls behind him until a hand slapped on his shoulder.

“Louis!” Liam exclaimed, laughing loudly and startling Louis. The latter turned around to find Liam’s grinning, confused face with his bushy eyebrows pushed together. “I didn’t know you were coming here today. Thought you hated getting out of your house on Saturdays when you didn’t need to?”

“Yeah well.” Louis shrugged casually, giving Liam a semi-convincing smile. He knew he was acting skittish as his eyes darted between his friend and the coffee shop over his shoulder. He could feel his friend’s confusion grow but he nodded and grinned. “Felt like being a little active today so just came down here.”

“It’s good you’re here,” Liam said as he slapped Louis’ back one more time, harsh enough to make his knees buckle. He just laughed, feeling his anxiety melt away. He was doing a degree in drama for god’s sakes. He shouldn’t be like this. “I tried a new brew today and wanted your opinion on it.”

“Really?” he asked as he let Liam throw an arm around his shoulder and lead him towards the teashop. Louis glanced at the cafe, squinting his eyes to see past the glass. If he wasn’t mistaken, there was no curly, long haired bloke behind the counter. There was a brunet all right, but not the one he was seeking. To be honest, Louis was a little early today so it was possible Harry’s shift hadn’t started yet. Maybe spending time with Liam wouldn’t be bad or steal away from Harryandlouis time. Right? “Alright. I am a tea connoisseur.”

“Self proclaimed,” Liam added, chuckling as he pushed the door and let go of Louis. “But alright I’ll let you have that one.”

Louis chuckled along, throwing one longing glance over his shoulder before he followed his friend in. He was already missing Harry. Was that too desperate? Maybe. But in his defence, it had been a week so.

-

“You know I’m thinking Louis,” Liam started, furrowing his eyebrows and leaning forward. Louis widened his eyes and leaned forward himself before slurping on his tea loudly to break the moment. Liam frowned at the sound but didn’t mention it. “Yeah I’m thinking. Maybe it isn’t the cafe’s fault.”

“Finally realised that frosted glass windows are a bad idea?” Louis prompted, raising his eyebrows as he lowered his cup. Liam’s frown deepened as he glanced towards the said windows and tilted his head to a side. “Not that? Okay then what?”

“Well.” He looked back at Louis distractedly. “I think it’s because my sign isn’t that clear. Like they have this eye catching colour of the sign and ours is just not. So I changed the sign last week, I don’t know if you saw but that kinda helped.”

Louis hadn’t paid special attention towards the teashop, busy trying to see if Harry was working every Saturday. But judging by the inside of the tea shop, which held five customers today, he could see the results.

“Do you think I should remove the frosted glass?” Liam asked, making Louis’ eyes snap back to him. Liam looked worried, eyes wide and held that expression that would make anyone pity him. Even Louis. “Are they bad?”

“Not really no,” Louis said, shrugging. Liam looked slightly relieved, nodding. He looked longing out the window, biting his lip. “But anyway, I should get going. It’s been great being back.”

“No wait,” Liam yelled as he caught Louis’ wrist to halt him, even though Louis hadn’t moved in the least. There was something in Liam’s expression, as if he was contemplating something. Louis looked on, trying to guess his next words. “Can you head down to the bakery first and get me some cupcakes? We’re almost finished today and there are a few more hours to go.”

“I don’t know Liam,” Louis said slowly, glancing out of the frosted window towards the blurry shape of the cafe. It had been half an hour since Louis was sitting here and Harry would have certainly arrived for his shift. He needed to sneak into the shop somehow. “It’s getting late. Besides Jessie is working today why don’t you ask her?”

“Please, Louis, it won’t take long,” Liam pleaded, unleashing the ‘puppy dog eyes and wobbly lip’ combo, which was hard to deny. Louis hesitated, glancing between Liam and the door before sighing in resignation. Liam grinned smugly before tampering down the intensity and let go of Louis’ hand, not before patting twice. “Thank you. You won’t regret going.”

“What do you mean?” Louis asked, confused due to Liam’s weird sentence. What wouldn’t he regret? What was Liam on about? But Louis just got a wink in return that answered none of his question. He mutely accepted the list he was handed and let himself be pushed of the shop. Liam was being weird today for sure, he thought, walking down the street.

Despite wanting to, Louis had never really been to the bakery which was just down the street. He always pushed his visit back and instead sneaked his favourite cupcakes off Liam. It was just easier that way, rather than walking some place. In fact today was the first time he had read the name of the bakery, even if it was written on the bags Liam brought in. ‘Dream Pies’ was written on the shop in hot pink. The moment he walked in, he was overwhelmed by the delectable smell of various cakes and pastries. His mouth watered due to the smell when he took in a deep breath. There were a lot many people in, of course they were and Louis just stood his place in the queue. He engaged in an interesting game of Candy Crush as he waited for his turn, tongue sticking out from between his teeth. It was hard, alright. He was too engrossed in it and he should have heard it before, but still found himself surprised when a familiar, deep voice called out his name. Louis’ head snapped up quickly, phone almost slipping from his hands as he stared.

“Harry,” he gasped, looking at him with surprised, wide eyes. And there he was, the man he wanted to see all day, standing behind the cash register of the bakery with a dazzling, bi-dimpled smile. Louis’ jaw might have dropped. Harry was bouncing on his feet, his small ponytail moving with the motion. He was wearing a blue uniform today, rather than the usual green Louis was used to and the colour suited him. Still, it was unexpected and Louis sudden realised he hadn’t even bothered checking his face before he walked in. He mostly likely looked horrible, hence without thinking he tried to hurriedly flatten his hair and earned a laugh from the other boy. “Hi. Didn’t expect to see you here.”

“I work here part time too,” Harry explained, shrugging noncommittally while his face exuded delight. He seemed to be moving his hands in a weird way in front of him, as if he didn’t quite know what to do with them and Louis understood. Louis’ hands were currently obsessively fiddling with his hair while staring. And he was thankfully he had been the last one in the queue. “But welcome to Dream Pies and I think I know what you’re in here for.”

“I can’t believe you’re the one who makes my favourite cupcakes,” Louis said, somewhat distracted by Harry’s moving hands and reached to grab them without thinking twice. His nails were painted a light shade of blue, which sort of matched his uniform. “And I like your nails. The colour is pretty.”

“Not as pretty as your eyes,” Harry whispered, making Louis’ eyes snap up to take in his flustered face and giddy smile. “I mean, uh. Yeah.”

“Thanks,” Louis replied, letting go of Harry’s hands and watched them fall limply to his side. “And actually, I uh came here to take an order? Liam sent me.”

“Liam?” Harry asked, frowning prettily and blinked. His bottom lip jutted out as he pushed his hair behind his ear. “You mean the guy who works at ‘Not Just Another Cuppa Tea’?”

Louis nodded as he passed Harry the list. Liam knew Harry worked there and Harry knew Liam’s name. And finally he just understood the glint in Liam’s eyes when he sent him here. _‘You won’t regret it’_. Right.

Louis nodded and shrugged at once, making Harry’s frown deepen. “Okay I’ll let you in on a secret. He’s actually my best friend and had sent me to spy on the cafe on the first day, which he claimed was his rival since their shops shared names. Sort of.”

“Oh.” Harry blinked, a small smile spreading over his lips. “So you were there on a spy mission?”

“Yeah.”

“So what did you find out?” Harry asked, placing his elbows on the counter and leaned forward. Since this counter was wider, their face weren’t as close. But Louis felt brave, mainly since he had a push from Liam and the knowledge that Harry made his favourite cupcakes. He took in a deep breath, searching Harry’s eyes for a few seconds before he decided to throw caution to the wind.

“I found the most beautiful person I’ve seen worked as a barista.”

“Yeah?” Harry asked, eyebrows arching as a pretty blush dusted over his cheeks. He was smiling, leaning closer and Louis breathed out a sigh of relief.

“Yeah. And then I went back two more times and found that I might like to take him out. On a date.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah so will you go out with me?”

“Yes,” Harry replied without missing a beat, grin wide enough to reduce his eyes to slits and make Louis’ stomach swoop with joy and relief. “I’d love that. And for the record, I was waiting for you to ask that ever since you walked in.”

Louis laughed, feeling his cheeks heat up as well and he tangled his fingers together. He watched as Harry picked out a pen from somewhere and write down ten digits on the paper in his hand before passing it back. Louis smiled when he saw the cartoon of a phone with the words ‘call me’ written beside it. “I will call you. Bye.”

And Louis spun on his toes and headed towards the door without looking back. He clearly was too giddy to think, realising that he was yet to pick Liam’s order when he was about ten steps away. He walked back, peeking his head in with a shy grin.

“Remembered the cupcakes now?” Harry asked, smiling fondly and laughed. Louis was in love with that laugh.

“Yeah.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry for the awkward end.  
> Kudos and comments are appreicated!  
> I'm on [ twitter ](https://twitter.com/rainbowslovehl) come and say hi (oops!)  
> Rebloggable tumblr post is [ here. ](http://rainbowsandlovehl.tumblr.com/post/176479956398/take-the-bitter-with-the-sweet-by-rainbowslovehl)


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